{summer re-cap}

 Where did summer go?  Seriously.  I am in total denial!  Here is a quick recap in pictures of what we have been up to the past couple months.  Above you will see my newly painted Master bedroom, I apparently didn't take many pics but i will try to remember to take more.  After almost 6 years in this house I FINALLY got around to painting the master, I don't know what took me so long!  I went with a light gray and I LOVE it!!! I did the master bath as well in the same gray with a crisp white cabinet and shower curtain.  This was my big project of the summer (I always try to have at least one) and I am so happy to have it done (well almost, I still need to find a new bedspread, I just can't decide what I really want.)

 We have had an unusually cool summer for St. George thanks to lots of summer rain, along with summer rain comes a whole lot of thunder and one night Aly and T were both super scared of the loud booms.  They both ended up sleeping in my room in Maggie's play yard, how cute is that!?!  Cuddled up all night in the play yard.  I just had to snap a pic!

 We did fireworks one night with Brumfield's.  Thatcher was so excited for fireworks it was all he could talk about all day long.  As soon as we lit the first one he was in tears, and ended up in the house watching Cars while the rest of us enjoyed the show... poor guy.  I do hope he outgrows this fearful nature but I am starting to think it is just who he is.  When the young men came over one night to wire the shed he saw the blow torch and hid under my bed for 30 minutes.  He is not one for fire or loud noises.

 I signed Aly and Thatch up for swimming lessons this summer.  Aly was a little fish and absolutely adored Miss Kimberly!  She was the first one in the pool and the last one out every day!  Thatcher however was his usual fearful self and would rather have sat with Mags and I and watched his class swim from the sidelines.  He did get in a couple of the days, but if Kimberly so much as mentioned "life jackets" he was sitting in my lap super fast!  The last day they get to play and Aly was climbing the stairs to the big slide in no time!  She got to the top and was ready to head on down when an older boy saw this teeny little girl and asked her if she wanted to go with him (super nice of him) she told him, "I guess if your scared I can go with you."  So she did, and then she made sure to let me know 'he' was the one that was afraid to go alone.  Haha! 

 We took the kids to ride on the carousel and of course it was overheated and needed to cool down for a half hour.  It was super hot and the kids were not about to leave so we ran around on the grass and let them get even hotter!  Did I say we have had a 'cool' summer, just know that is cool for St. George, and it is still 100+!

 We finally got on the carousel and I told Aly to 'hold on tight' she took me very literally and was holding on for dear life, the second ride she finally loosened up a bit!  Alyse was in heaven and could have ridden it all day!  Thatch however was pretty content after 2 rides and ready to move on.

 Uncle Matt came for a visit with his BIG truck and we just had to let Thatch go see it!  (He is super obsessed with trucks).  When we got there he completely freaked out and it took a LOT of prodding to get him to even get close!  He was so scared up inside and when Matt pulled the horn he was D.O.N.E.  It was hilarious.  As soon as he was across the street all he could talk about was Matt's BIG truck and how when he gets big he is going to have a big truck too.  He is still talking to me about Matt's truck, silly boy!  Love his guts though! 

 Grandma is my life saver!~!  She came for a few days to help me get ready for the new school year!  (THANKS!) and while she was here we took the kids to the carousel as a last HOORAH for summer!  As you can see Aly is completely over her fear of falling off and was quite the little horse rider!  Thatch however refused to ride on a horse and opted for the safety of a bench seat!  We then took the kids to Judd's for ice cream and hit the factory stores for some back to school shopping.  While we were there 6, yes SIX tour buses pulled up and the place was swarming with tourists!  They completely took over the parking lot blocking all exits with their mammoth buses!~  My mom and I were laughing so hard.  It was total insanity and we took off and headed for home, as soon as a bus moved out of the way to let us through!

Mags is quite the little 'Mommy' these days and loves her baby!  She smothers him with kisses, takes him to bed with her at night, and even shares her high chair and food with her little one.  It is too cute!  I love how grown up she is now!  She is talking all the time now and constantly picking up cute little phrases.  Last night it was 'love you mwah!' at least 20 time last night I got a 'love you mwah' from my Magsters and it melted my heart!  

The last few weeks have been spent here, hours, and hours, and hours!  I love setting up my room and getting ready for a new year but it is always so bittersweet!  I hate saying good bye to my lazy summer days with the kids!  Luckily I absolutely love what I do and it makes leaving my babies a little easier!  School started on Monday and I have spent my week so far testing my new kinder kids!  Russ goes back to school on the 22nd and then summer is officially over for all of us, so hard to believe.  Wish us luck as we head into another busy school year!